9781644135945

The Christmas Cycle
people. Many of the prophets, too, sang of this wonderful union of God with His beloved. The
symbol they find most fitting is that of a betrothal. (Cf. Ez 16:8; Is 54:6.) The liturgy applies
these references to the union of Christ with His Church. God in the person of Christ is the
bridegroom of the Church and humanity.
Of the royal bridegroom the Psalmist sings: “Thou art beautiful above the sons of men;
grace is poured abroad in Thy lips; therefore hath God blessed Thee forever. Gird Thy sword
upon Thy thigh, O Thou most mighty. With Thy comeliness and Thy beauty set out, proceed
prosperously, and reign. Because of truth and meekness and justice: and Thy right hand shall
conduct Thee wonderfully. Thy arrows are sharp; under Thee shall people fall, into the hearts
of the king’s enemies. Thy throne, O God, is forever and ever; the scepter of Thy kingdom
is a scepter of uprightness. Thou hast loved justice and hated iniquity; therefore God, Thy
God hath anointed Thee with the oil of gladness above Thy fellows. Myrrh and stacte and
cassia perfume Thy garments, from the ivory houses, out of which the daughters of kings
have delighted Thee in Thy glory. The queen stood on Thy right hand in gilded clothing,
surrounded with variety” (Ps 44:3–10).
This royal bridegroom unites divinity and humanity in one person, in whom the divine
nature permeates the human nature with its light and glory. His lips announce the condescension
and goodness of God, which has appeared to us in Him (Ti 3:4). In His hand rests
the sword of righteous power, with which He strikes down all that is opposed to God. He is
the champion of truth and the protector of all those predestined by God. He overcomes the
resistance of men and of evil spirits. He is a source of consolation for the kingdom of God,
the Church. He is the defender of the lowly, and He shall lift up him who has been crushed.
The bent reed He shall straighten, and the dying flame He shall rekindle. He administers
justice and reconciles men to God. He is the divine Ruler, the Lord of all, the absolute Master
of angels and men. No one can withstand Him; all must do His will. He is holy and He hates
all injustice; therefore God has blessed Him with the fullness of grace. From His human nature
flows the sweetness of myrrh, stacte, and cassia, the perfumes of heavenly majesty. His
companions are the daughters of kings, who await the call of the kingdom of God. They stand
arrayed in the precious jewels of sanctifying grace, which the Lord has earned for them by His
death on the cross. The place of honor at the right hand of the King is occupied by His bride,
the queen, the Church.
The royal bride is the Church. “The daughters of kings have delighted Thee in Thy glory.
The queen stood on Thy right hand in gilded clothing, surrounded with variety. Hearken, O
daughter, and see and incline thy ear; and forget thy people and thy father’s house. And the King
shall greatly desire thy beauty, for He is the Lord thy God, and Him they shall adore. And the
daughters of Tyre with gifts, yea, all the rich among the people shall entreat thy countenance”
(Ps 44:10–13). In the New Testament, in the union of Christ with His Church, flesh and blood
and descent from Abraham are no longer important, but rather a life of grace and virtue, the
love of Christ and personal holiness. The Church is the only bride of Christ. Dressed in glowing
garments, she will be led to her bridegroom. But the beauty of the King’s bride is not an earthly
beauty; it does not lie in ostentatious display, nor in the splendor and glory with which her
friends surround her. Her beauty is supernatural and lies in her fullness of grace, virtue, and
holiness. In this holy attire she will be led into the presence of the King.
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